Life is full of surprises. Is it not? Today, I would like to share with you a particular example. One where I went into a visit to this wonderful place expecting one thing, based on returning after my first visit, but encountering something totally unexpected, instead.
Photos: Setting up my laptop on the dining room table,
with the lead image (above) of the original post on the screen.
What a blessed and peaceful place to provide a little encouragement to the wonderful hostess, Lynn, of this remarkable getaway favorite.
As I set up to show her ...
Photos: Wild turkeys outside on the deck
Wait a minute ... How I am going to concentrate with those wild turkeys outside the window?
- Do you see the turkeys out the window, sharp-eyed readers, in the picture above, with my laptop on the table?
Well, what would you do? I decided to go out on the deck and soak it all up for a bit! Which led to me seeing this:
Photo: Zooming in on deer, from the deck outside
As you might imagine, dear reader, my concentration was completely broken at this point. Why go to a wonderful getaway place, if you don't take the time to "smell the roses" and enjoy it? I stayed out on the deck for awhile, before heading back inside for a lifetime memory chat with the hostess.
The Back Story ...
In the summer of 2020, "desperate" to get away from the COVID-19 insanity all around us, we found the most remarkable getaway. All that we could have hoped for - Spirit West River Lodge in Riverside, Wyoming, population 52!
- COVID-19 insanity => Which I called on Day 2, followed later by one of the highest rewarded posts I ever wrote on Day 48 ...
I wrote about it all a few days later. Leading to this remarkable outcome:
So, back to the lead picture in this post, I was sitting down to show Lynn what our first visit to her wonderful place had inspired. It was a lifetime memory for me, dear reader, as this +80 year old woman was in tears reading through it and listening to my telling her that others all over the world had the opportunity to read about what she and her family had built over time.
As we talked, I was stunned to have her tell me she had recently been diagnosed with cancer. And that she would be leaving very early in the morning, for one of the bigger cities in Wyoming, to receive her doctor's prescribed treatment.
Anticipating my confusion about this sudden news, as I was formulating how I would ask her if I needed to leave, she simply said I was part of the family! I was welcome to stay as long as I liked (I was the only one there) and to just close the door, when I left.
"No need to lock it."
It will be fine!
It will be fine!
Wow! What indomitable and admirable character in these people. And what an indelible memory, even now bringing back powerful emotions ...
Personal Glimpses & Touches
While I had no intention of overstaying my original schedule, with my mind barely set at ease, I at least enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening with these precious people. And when I woke up the next morning?
They were already gone ...
While I am pretty comfortable with at least some amateur-level ... "wordsmithing" ... words fail me now. To describe what the rest of that morning was like, before I left to be on my way. While I had known this before, it really sunk in deep then that Spirit West River Lodge was more than that.
It was their home.
And I was in it.
Left all alone ...
And I was in it.
Left all alone ...
Being respectful, yet hoping to capture some of this "magic," for refreshing my "memory scrapbook," I took the pictures which follow.
The People
These are remarkable people, in my experience in life. The kind of people who you most definitely want on your side, if there are ever any problems.
Photo 1: R. G. and Lynn Finney, in their younger years
Photo 2: Lynn's mother, ca 1920s, in Riverside
While I have no pictures of him, Lynn's father was quite a man, from her storytelling. Together, they decided to begin bicycle racing, with her in her 50s and him in his late 70s. In spite of their age, they still won all local races. Then Lynn went on to race in southern Utah and beat everyone in her age bracket down there, in a much more heavily attended race. All before her father tragically got in an accident and it resulted in his passing away.
This gives us a little bit of an idea of the woman who left the area for a time. While away, she found and married a Canadian special forces military man and brought him back home. Where he successfully redefined his career, becoming a very good wildlife and western artist.
R. G. and Lynn are currently living out the remainder of their days, in their beloved home at Spirit West River Lodge.
And what a home it is ...
The Place
Photos: The kitchen. Note handmade wooden stools, etc.
And where I was sitting at the table in the lead photo.
What a wonderful kitchen! Where we will often find Lynn, literally singing at times, while she works. And she is in and out of those doors to the beauty just outside along the river all the time. "Caring for the critters" out there, who may understandably think of her as Mom ...
She also has a radio and small TV in her kitchen, with which she keeps abreast of all that is going on outside of their sanctuary there in Riverside, Wyoming.
Photos: The family dining room, looking out on the Enterprise River.
This big family table is off to the side of the kitchen. I can just picture the Finney family gathering around it, for special occasions.
Photos: Lots of personal touches ...
From a significant part of my professional career, in sales management, I learned you could tell a lot about a person, by spending even a few minutes in their office. Simply looking at what they had chosen to surround themselves with, in setting up their workspace.
Above, you have a sampling of what the Finneys have chosen to surround themselves with, in their home. They are mostly definitely from the American West and wonderful "salt of the earth" people!
In a way which is hard to put into adequate words, their home is your home. I hope someday, dear reader, you have a chance to enjoy a similar experience.
For me, it was unforgettable.
Surrounding Area
Set in a high (+7,100 ft or +2,100 m) plains / desert (12 inches of rain, on average, annually) area of rural Wyoming, Spirit West River Lodge is surrounded by the marvel and wonder of the American West. Given its short growing season, the local economy is heavily weighted toward ranching and the hay needed to feed the ranch's livestock.
Here are some examples of the surrounding countryside, within a 20-mile radius of the Spirit West River Lodge:
Ranch Country
Photos: Ranching in the upper North Platte River basin
While the sky was definitely cloudy this day (from the classic western song, "Home on the Range"), we can still see the antelope and deer are "playing," in amongst the livestock ... 👍🫡
This rugged scenery, combined with what they endure during the winter months, to get their livestock through it, gives you a pretty good idea about the character of the people who live here - descendants of those who first began settling here in the late 1800s.
On the lighter side ... 🙂
Lighter Side
Photos: Lighter side of ranching ...
If you look at the last picture, in the previous collection, then look at the first picture here, you will have the general idea of my delight in finding these two calves ... "hiding out!"
I could almost imagine them saying:
"NO! You can't see us. Our Mom said so! That's why we are hiding down in here ..."
"Okay ... Obviously we can see you taking our picture, so ... I guess you can see us ..."
"Well, we're not moving. We're more afraid of disobeying our Mom, than we are of you!"
In the second picture, getting back to the lodge, these two "hay burners" were right by the front door! Harkening back to an earlier time, keeping horses around is still pretty popular. Although ... The "cowboys" today are far more likely to be roaming around on their ranches and tending to their livestock in trucks or 4-wheelers, than on the back of a horse ... 🤠
Why "hay burners?" Long ago, I was told by an experienced rancher that pound for pound (kg for kg) ...
... horses consume TWICE
as much hay
as a cow!
😧
as much hay
as a cow!
😧
And, of course, cows are a staple of the American diet, as a major source of meat / protein. But, horses? Not so much ... Ownership of a horse today seems tied to the nostalgia for a time now in the past, since the old expression ... "workhorse" ... has lost its relevance.
A little closer to "home," the following collections of pictures were all taken within a 5-mile radius of where I lay my head on my pillow, in the Lodge's Wild Rose (my personal favorite) room:
Indian Bathtubs Trail
Photos: Indian Bathtubs Trail which Lynn personally initiated and oversaw building,
to introduce others to a cherished childhood memory of her playing there
It was a very pleasant afternoon, after Lynn told me about it, that I explored this nice little local trail. From seeing the "big picture," down to admiring the remarkably hardy little plants all about, I love discovering places like this.
Great exercise and lots of fresh air!
To get a better view of the valley in which the Spirit West River Lodge sits, I selected a good vantage point to climb up to and here is what I saw:
Rocky Hillside
Photos: Local hilltop, on which the local radio station tower rests.
Riverside and the Enterprise River valley is in the background.
In the top picture, you see the rock in the upper left that I climbed up on, to record a video clip for my youngest son. Who wants the ... "old man" ... to still be able to go hiking with him. I told him to hurry up and get out here (he lives in Virginia) ... 😂
If one looks carefully at the middle photo, then you will see the timeless struggle between plants and rocks. And, in spite of its gnarly appearance and the wonder it is alive at all on the side of this dry hillside ...
The tree is not only alive.
The tree is winning!
The tree is winning!Enterprise River Valley
Photos: Along the Enterprise River, downstream from the Lodge.
It was so peaceful hiking along the river. And you know you've had a good day, if you are blessed with the sighting of sandhill cranes. While not the best picture, they took off shortly after even this one, so I feel fortunate ...
There you have it. A remarkable getaway lodge, tucked away in a remote corner of the American West.
Closing
As I have written before at times, I am most definitely a "road less traveled" sort of guy. I'll leave the big cities and all their glitzy attractions to others. There are few places I have been blessed to visit which have made a deeper impression than this one.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my return to Spirit West River Lodge. I’d love to hear any feedback you may be inspired to provide.
Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build up our Hive Communities and add increasing value to our Hive blockchain! 👍 😊
Respectfully,
Blogger @roleerob
Hive "Dolphin" 🐬 & Man Cave "Dragon" 🐉
P.S. Unless otherwise noted, all images are pictures taken by my smartphone - a Samsung Galaxy S9+.
🌲 No trees were harmed in the publishing of this post! 🌲
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